The feedback that we periodically receive suggests that Clients often find it cumbersome and confusing to follow instructions for installing a browser plug-in to start a Techinline session. In such situations, we recommend using Techinline’s Client Desktop Application as an easy way to bypass the plug-in installation and obtain a Client ID.
Clearly, if one is in the business of providing tech support, chances are that they often don’t have the most computer-advanced user at the other end, and even straightforward instructions such as clicking on a yellow bar or a large “Install” button at the bottom of the browser page may prove to be a nightmare or nearly unbearable task. It should be noted that Techinline follows standard procedures for its plug-in installation put forth by each browser (Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox) itself, and therefore loading a Techinline plug-in is no different than any other web-based application such as Adobe Flash Player. We have made an effort to simplify things as much as possible for Clients by posting visual step-by-step plug-in installation instructions on our Support Request Page (fixme.it) for every supported browser type and version. However, some still tend to get confused by this seemingly straightforward process.
Those who are still unaware will be delighted to learn that Techinline actually offers an alternative, non-browser based method of starting a Techinline session which should prove to be an ideal workaround for dealing with such clients and getting them to the Client ID.
Method 1 (Use the link)
First of all, you can simply direct the Client to the following URL to run the Client Desktop Application: http://c.fixme.it
You can email this link or paste it on your own website and direct Clients to the Desktop Application as soon as they encounter difficulty in completing the plug-in installation.
Method 2 (Use the Large, Green Button)
We have also recently added a large, green “Run Desktop Application” button to the Support Request Page which is displayed to the Client along with our plug-in installation instructions. The Client may use this button to avoid the plug-in installation and run the Desktop Application instead. If your Client is stuck at the plug-in installation page, simply tell them to look for and click on a “large green button” to run Techinline.[image url=”https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.159/nza.642.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Run-Desktop-Application-Button-IE.png” title=””Run Desktop Application” Button” alignment=”center” margin_left=”0″ margin_right=”0″ margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”0″ width=”641″ height=”407″]
Other Advantages of the Desktop Application
Another clear advantage of using the Desktop Application is that the remote session is conducted independently of any browser. This implies that you are able to close or restart all browsers on the remote computer while maintaining an active Techinline session. Therefore, this connection method may also be called upon if the support session will involve working with the Client’s browser or installing certain web applications that may require a browser restart. The Desktop Application will ensure that the session is not disrupted in such situations.
The Client may also resort to the Desktop Application if they are unable to open or use a web browser, or if the choice of available browsers on their machine is limited.
Expert Desktop Application
Techinline also offers an Expert Desktop Application which can be used as an alternative to the browser-based connection method on the Expert’s end: http://e.fixme.it
We hope that this post proves to be useful in addressing situations where a Client is unable to use our “primary” web-based connection method for any reason whatsoever.
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